Sweden downs Finland to advance to gold medal game
Sweden defeated rival Finland 4-1 on Saturday to advance to the gold medal game of the 2017 IIHF World Championship. The Swedes will battle Team Canada for international supremacy.
Just 1:49 into the first period, Nicklas Backstrom's faceoff win was one-timed by defenseman Alex Edler past goaltender Harri Sateri to give Sweden an early lead.
Three minutes later, Joonas Kemppainen pounced on a loose puck and pushed it by Henrik Lundqvist to tie things at 1-1, but that's as close as Finland, who will take on Russia in the bronze medal match Sunday, would get.
Sweden's power play took over in the middle frame, with goals from John Klingberg and William Nylander, who leads the tournament with seven tallies in nine games and is tied for second with 14 points.
Joakim Nordstrom added a fourth goal late in the third period, which was a suffocating 20 minutes from Sweden's talented blue-liners, as the final shot count finished 41-23 in favor of Tre Kronor.
Sweden hasn't played for gold since 2013, when they defeated Switzerland on home soil. The Swedes and Canadians last met in the final in 2004, with Canada winning the title.
Puck drop for the deciding game is set for 4:45 p.m. ET.